Collins confident of Chelsea repeat

15 Oct 2010 14:41:00

James Collins reckons Aston Villa can pull off a repeat of last season's victory over Chelsea when they face Carlo Ancelotti's men on Saturday.
Central defender Collins scored the winning goal when Villa triumphed 2-1 over the Blues in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago.
Collins knows Villa face an uphill task after losing heavily to Chelsea in subsequent encounters last term, going down 7-1 at Stamford Bridge in March and suffering a 3-0 loss in the FA Cup semi-finals.
But the Wales international feels the omens are good for another impressive display against the reigning champions.
"It's a similar situation to last time as we played them just after international duty last season," said Collins.
"You know it's going to be a tough game against them but on the day we were superb.
"It was a good performance and topped off with a winning goal for myself. I had all my family there and to get a win was unbelievable.
"I remember the last couple of minutes hanging on when we were under attack.
"Hopefully we can do the same again. You've got to look back on the way you played any time you beat Chelsea."
Collins is relishing the challenge rather than being fazed by the task ahead.
He said: "Certainly looking at their start to the season, Chelsea look stronger.
"They've been a great team for years and years now.
"Any game you have against them is going to be among your toughest of the season.
"But that's what you're here to do. You shouldn't be nervous going into the game or not sleeping because this is where you want to be and who you want to play against.
"If we beat them I don't think it will be a shock result. We've done it before and we're certainly capable of doing it again.
"We try not to think about opponents too much before the game whether it's Chelsea or one of the lesser teams. We'll go into it prepared and looking forward to it."
Collins believes Villa are in good form despite being beaten at Tottenham in their last match.
He said: "I think the way we've started the season, a few of the results have been not what we've been looking for.
"But certainly the way we've been playing football the last couple of games we can give anyone a game.
"Against many of the top teams in the league we have done well like going to Old Trafford last season and getting the 1-0 win.
"We've got to take confidence from those games. Going and playing the bigger teams, they are always tough games and everyone in the team has got to be right on form and full of confidence."